To ask the Minister of Education whether he has any plans to review the definition of socially disadvantaged, in relation to the statutory admissions criteria for pre-schools.

The definition of “socially disadvantaged circumstances” has had to be extended over time to ‘read in’ new welfare payments which have subsumed those named in the legislation.

I am aware that this legislation needs to be reviewed. A consultation to seek views on the matter ran from 19 April to 16 July 2021 and confirmed that there is no longer support for the indefinite retention of this statutory priority criterion but its removal is only likely to receive the necessary support when all children have access to 22.5 hours of pre-school per week – a level of provision currently available to just 40% of children across Northern Ireland.

It is my intention to move to a position where 22.5 hours is the standard offer and the socially disadvantaged criterion can be removed completely. This will take some time to achieve and will be subject to agreement and significant investment by the Assembly.

In the meantime, I can reassure you that there are sufficient places in every area across Northern Ireland to provide a funded pre-school education place for every target aged child whose parents want it.